A thermoelectric device may be formed from alternating N and P elements/legs made of semiconducting material on a rigid substrate (e.g., alumina) joined on a top thereof to another rigid substrate/plate (e.g., again, alumina). In a typical bulk thermoelectric module/device, N-type thermoelectric legs and P-type thermoelectric legs may be bookended by top and bottom metal traces. Because of the typical long length of said N-type thermoelectric legs and P-type thermoelectric legs, there is no shunting during soldering of the metal traces.
However, as the height of the N-type thermoelectric legs and the P-type thermoelectric legs reduce in thin-film based thermoelectric devices, the top metal trace(s) may shunt the bottom metal trace(s) during deposition thereof.